Egyptian authorities freed Egyptian-Irish dual citizen Ibrahim Halawa on Friday after four years in detention.
A judicial source told Ahram Online that Halawa, 21, was freed by the authorities on Friday morning nearly a month after his acquittal on charges related to violence in 2013.
“Finally the day where I can see the sky without bars, smell fresh air, walk freely and deeply from the bottom of my heart. But I miss one thing and it’s being home. I wanna thank the team at the embassy who worked very hard. The ambassador Sean O’regan, Former ambassador Damien cole, Shane Gleeson, Vincent Herlihy. Thank you to everyone who helped I love you all,” a post on Halawa’s Facebook profile read on Friday.
Halawa and two of his sisters were tried in a trial in the case dubbed by the media as the Al-Fatah Mosque case, which dates back to August 2013 when there were clashes between supporters of Mohamed Morsi and security forces near the mosque in Cairo, leaving 44 people dead, with many more injured, including 22 policemen.
The court also acquitted his sisters Samia and Fatma of charges in the same case in September. They had however been previously released on bail and left the country for Ireland in November 2013.
According to The Irish Times, Halawa’s father Hussein spoke on Friday of “the exhilaration in his son’s voice” when he spoke to him.
“I was speechless when I spoke to him on the phone. I didn’t know what to say. Do I say I missed him, or thank God it’s over, the words were scattered in my mind,” Hussein said told The Irish Times.
In statements to Irish RTE on Friday, Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said he believes Halawa will return to Ireland on Sunday or Monday following his release.